Card game.



G. S. PARKER.

CARD GAME.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30, 1912.

Lmmw Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

K022571653 es.

6me Q.

George 5. Parker.

& g ,mm.g ww.

see an? E GEORGE S PARKER, OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS, JhSSIGrNQR TO PARKERBROTHERS, INCORPORATED, F PURTLANJD, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

CARD GAME.

Patented Feb. as, rare,

Application filed September 30, 1912. serial No. 723,105.

i which will enable them to be used in the playing of numerous games notheretofore practicable.

My invention will be. best understood from a description of a specificembodiment thereof illustrated in part in the accompanying drawing.

Referring to the said drawing, five figures illustrate five specimencards illustrative of my invention.

Referring to the drawing, in the particular embodiment of my inventionthere illustrated, the five figures illustrate respec tively specimencards from five diderent suits which may be of any convenient num ber ofcards, but conveniently and prefen ably of twelve.

Taking the card illustrated in Figure 1, it will be observed that in theopposite upper left-hand and lower right-hand corners of the card thereis conspicuously displayed what ll call for convenience a group symbol,which in the card of Fig. 1 comprises the representation of the head ofa tiger, printed in a color characteristic of the group of which saidcard forms one, which may be understood to be for instance black. Itwill be observed then, that the group symbol of the suit of which thecard Fig. 1 forms a member, presents a characteristic group color, towit, black, and also a characteristic contour and design.

Closely. associated with the grou symbols upon the card Fig. 1 are in exnumerals, in the present instance the numeral 3, preferably arranged ineach instance so as to appear, when in position for reading, immediatelyabove the group'symbol itself, and also preferably printed in thecharacteristic color of the cards ofthat group, to wit, black. The cardsalso bear in addition to the group symbols and index numerals,

indicated elsewhere on the cards.

one or more larger sized main value symbols expressed in numericaldesign and being diflerent in design from the group symbol These mainvalue symbols are used preferably in pairs, arranged as shown, inposition to be read from opposite ends of the card, and appear inconspicuous and relatively large dimensions, printed in or emphasized bythe special color of the group to which the card properly belongs andwith each offset in relation to the other as illustrated to facilitateconvenient and ready identification in reading, on account of thenatural tendency of the eye to follow to the right in identifying anydevice or card from its neighbor; and also for the purpose of savingtable space when cards are lapped over each other, as frequently occursin building games and particularly in the second game mentioned below,that the respective large main. value numerical symbols may be plainlyobservable both as to their value and the color which emphasizes them,as they lie in a lapped group or 'row, without reference to the smallindices, or uncovering to display the whole card.

In the specimen game illustrated all the cards of the group of which thecard Fig. it constitutes a member will have their consecutively numberedmain symbols correspondingly upon each card with the consecutivelynumbered. index numerals all emphasized in the characteristic ordistinguishing group color, and upon each card of the group will appearuniformly the characteristic group symbol, hereinthe tigers head, alsoemphasized in the group color. Another group, for example as illustratedby the card Fig. 2, will have itsindex numeral and main value symbolsemphasized in a different characteristic color, for example red, and theindex numerals upon the respective cards will have associated with themthe characteristic group symbol of that particular suit, which in thepresent instance is the bulls head, emphasized in the group color, red.A third vsuit, of which the card Fig. 3 constitutes a member, may haveits index numerals and main value symbols emphasized in thecharacteristic color green, the index numerals in this particular suitbeing associated with the group symbol, a cross, also emphasized in thecharacteristic color green and appearing uniformly upon all 110 thecards of that particular group: A fourth group, of which Fig. (lis amember, may have its index numerals and main value symbols emphasized inthe characteristic color yellow, and the group symbol appearinguniformly upon all the cards of the group might, for instance, be asillustrated, a star, of conventional outline and also emphasized in thegroup color, yellow. A fifth group, of which the card Fig. 5 constitutesa member, would have, for instance, its index numerals and its mainvalue symbols emphasized in the characteristic group color, blue, andassociated with the index numerals would be a group symbol, for instancethe head of a deer, appearing uniformly upon the cards of the group andemphasized in the characteristic or. group color, blue. Thus, in thecards of each group the group symbols uniformly emphasize the one colorwhich characterizes .or distinguishes that particular group, saidsymbols also exhibit ing in all the cards of the group the same oridentical contour and design symbol displayed upon the cards of one suitdifiershowever, both in respect to the color emphasized and also withrespect to the contour and design, from the group symbols of all theother groups in the game. Thus, the group symbols of the gameillustrative of my invention furnish a means for identifying anddifferentiating, for associating. and for separating the cards which isdifferent from anything in the art heretofore known to me, and this,when associated or combined with the index numerals and main valuesymbols differing in design from the group symbols, as heretoforedescribed and as illustrated in the drawing, provides for a variety andnovelty of games not practicable with cards, heretofore known to me,such for example as playing cards. The differentiation of suits by colormay be effected under the disclosure and protection of my Patent No.952.939, dated Mar. 22, 1910.

The following brief descriptions of'two games that may be played withthe cards of my invention illustrate the variety of games that may beplayed with the same. For example, the entire pack is dealt out onecard. at a time, equally to four players, two of whom play as partnersagainst the opposite two. Each player is likely to hold portions of eachof the five groups or suits. The object of the game is to capturethe'deer cards (all of which bear the head of a deer) which are the countingcards of this particular game and which score the partners capturingthem according to the respective value indicated by the number on eachcard. In addition each trick counts a certain number of points,preferably two points for each trick taken. Two of the groups or suitsare selected as trump suits, one of the suits being solely powerful inthe trumps of the partners Z and ZZ.

. The group hands of one pair of partners and one of the suits beingsolely powerful in the hands of the opposing partners. Thus, forexample, the red bulls are the trumps for the partners A and AA, and theblack tigers the The deer suit comprises the cards which are valuable tocapture. The two remaining suits are necessary to balance the play, butare simply ordinary in their functions. The play is in turn around thetable until four cards are played, which constitutes a trick and is thenset aside, the winner beginning the next trick as in ordinary games. Inthis game, if a player plays a card of his opposing partners trumpsgroup, it is absolutely valueless for his side. Thus, if A or hispartner AA play 12 black tiger card, it

is without any value whatsoever, but if he led 12 red bull he wouldcapture the trick of four cards, because no other card could take it. Aplayer. has in each turn the option of three things, namely, followingthe suit led, or playing one of his own trumps, or playinga' deer If hehas a card coming under either of these headings, he is obliged to playsuch a card. Otherwise he may throw away. Any deer card is defenselessagainst a card of any other suit, but is valuable in accordance with itsvalue number to either set of partners capturing it. If a player shouldlead by playing a card of an opponents trump symbol, it is valueless andcannot capture the trick, as the card counts as zero, but during thatround it must be treated as the suit which is led.

The character of the pack and its novel uses, as for example, in theunusual but practical and absorbing game above briefly described, givesopportunity for an entirely new field of mental skill and action inplay.

Another example of gamefor which these cards are devised and which alsopossesses elements of allowing considerable skill in play is as follows:A handof ten cards is dealt to each player, of whom there may be fromtwo to five, each playing individually, the balance of the pack beingturned face down and is drawn from in each players turn in order torefresh his hand before his play. The cards as played are parked acrossthe table in parallel rows. A player playing from his hand to form orbuild on to these rows any cards forming a direct sequence of three ormore cards in a row, or a cross section of cards of the same number. Inthe course of play this develops five more or less incomplete rows, thecorresponding cards of each group being placed side by side as they areplayed and a player may build in either horizontally or vertically threeor more cards in a row. Thus, if a sequence of 7, 8, 9 red bull liespara player having an 8 black tiger may ,allel with a sequence of 8, 910 blue deer,

place the 8 in the vised, used in five niaenaa vertical intersectingrow, as it will constitute thereby a vertical line of three 8s, theobject being always to fill in forming a sort of parquetry of cards, solong as his play will complete or create three cards in a row eitherhorizontally or verticallyi' Sequent rows occupy the longest portion ofthe field there being but five vertical or intersecting rows. The playis bydrawing and discarding to gather to gether cards that will enable aplayer to aid in completingthis field of cards which ll term a parquetor plaza, at the same time disposing of the cards in his hand. Theefi'ect ot the game being a contest be tween interlocking solitaire playfor which purpose the peculiar cards which I have degroups or suite andcarrying sequences 0 numerical figures on cards further distinguishableby color and symbols, furnishes the only satisfactory means of play,

Claim:

A card game comprising .at least 'four groups of cards providing atleast one suit of trump cards, a suit of counting cards, and balancingsuits, the cards of all of said suits bearing respectively small groupsymbols placed near the upperleft hand and lower right hand corners ofsaid cards, the group symbols of each group being identical with all theothers ofthe same group but difi'er- .entiated both in design and colorfrom all the group symbols of all the other groups, in combination withsmall numerical index value symbols positioned in the same COKE,

ners with the group symbols, and correrespective cards being emphasizedby a predominating color corresponding in each in stance in color wlththe group symbols of the same cards, said pairs of main value symbolsbeing expressed by numerical figures reading respectively up and down oneach card, the upper numerical symbols being ofl'set to the right of thelower to- Wardthe right hand side of the card when in position to beread, thereby constituting combined'main value symbols and numericalindex value symbols extending into the upper right hand and lower lefthand corners of the card.

In testimony whereof, l[ have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.-

enonen s. PARKER,

Witnesses:

ARTHUR E. Carson, Evnnn'rr S. EMERY."

